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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · fan · field · vault · cue · bulb · stick · calf

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. field — a subject
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. content — the amount
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. content — happy
  16. field — farmland
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com